Birthday dinner in Palm Springs area

Americas - USA West California - elsewhere
#1

I’m being asked to help choose between Reservoir and Catalan for a mature (but with it) adult birthday dinner this coming weekend. I’m not familiar with either one, except that the son of a friend is a partner in the hotel that houses Reservoir.

Catalan gets slightly better Yelp reviews but that’s Yelp, so… Any input gratefully accepted with thanks.

#2

I’d go with the one that son of a friend is a partner in the hotel that houses Reservoir…for me, I like possible freebies, sent my way.
I don’t know either restaurant but both look fab.

Go for brunch the next day on the patio at Le Vallauris in Palm Springs. .
Make reservations for the patio if you decide to go.

www.levallauris.com

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#3

Eater LA has you covered, just in time!

(CC: @Plumeria @yogachik @TheCookie)

Edit: After reading your post again, I realized you’re not necessarily looking for other options… so this list may not be terribly helpful!

For what it’s worth, I’ve heard positive things about The Arrive, which is the hotel/complex where Reservoir is. Apparently the ice cream shop next door is pretty good. I haven’t been myself, though.

I’m also a big fan of Workshop + Bar and Birba, which are both on Eater’s list.

#4

Thanks Dr. that could be very helpful for other meals out.

#5

Yo @Midlife - how was The Reservoir? Saw your other post about there being no campechana but was curious about how the rest of the meal was. And did you make it to any other spots?

#6

Mostly a stay-in-and-drink-by-the-pool weekend. We went to Bootlegger Tiki for some frou-frou drinks too.

Reservoir is at Arrive (a hipster-ish) newer hotel on Palm Canyon. We sat outside, near the pool. Everyone seemed to really enjoy their food, but there were so many pre-dinner cocktails I’m not sure I can remember specifics. I had a seabass sashimi plate that was very fresh and sauced nicely with a citrus/soy/wasabe emulsion, interestingly presented on paper-thin daikon slices. I then had the Wagyu sliders. They were OK, but I think a good kitchen could find a way to make even a tiny burger something less than well-done (kindof a waste of quality beef).

A couple of others had the “SESAME SEED CRUSTED TUNA BURGER
yellowfin tuna, baby arugula, red onion, tomato, avocado, wasabi mayo, brioche bun”. Both said it was good, but I heard comments that they’d have preferred a quality veggie patty to the tuna. Two more had " CHILE COLORADO WAGYU BEEF SHORT RIB goat cheese polenta, red mustard greens". Both were very happy with their selection. So I’d give the place a solid “B”.

BTW, the veggie burger talk included mention of a Trader Joe’s find called Beast Burger (a veggie). Our local TJ’s hasn’t gotten them yet, so I may do a post asking where they have turned up.

Oh, on our way back from the Living Desert Zoo (which included a very brief Leo DeCaprio/Nina Agdal sighting), we stopped at a small place called El Paseo Grill (near the shopping area of the same name). Salads, sandwiches, mediterranean accents. Just OK, but we were just looking for a quick bite on our way back to the pool.

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#7

Friends just got from PS and they couldn’t stop raving about Mr. Lyons…
They couldn’t believe I hadn’t been there. .what is up with that?!
This has my name all over it.

www.mrlyonsps.com/mrlyons-photos

#8

Nice. Thanks! Seems worth a stop.

Will also keep a lookout for those TJ’s veggie beast burgers.

Send my best to Leo & Nina.

1 Like
#9

Hi @President_Mochi -

I just saw your shoutout. Discourse was doing some upgrades or something. I don’t know if anyone else had problems. But I haven’t received all my messages.

We have been to Birba. It’s attached to The Alcazar where we stay a lot. I can’t remember the food. But it has a nice vibe.

We’re heading out there soon :sunny:!

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#10

Palm Springs round upppppp

BOOTLEGGER TIKI

  • We sat outside with a large group, so we didn’t get much of the tiki vibez, but the drinks made up for it. Festive, strong and yeah sure another would be great.

BIRBA

  • A lively, lovely patio to spend an evening. We mostly went for drinks, which were fine but nothing memorable. People in the group raved about the cauliflower crust pizza. I had a sweet potato gnocchi that was pretty solid.

NYPD (NEW YORK PIZZA DELIVERY)

  • How to feed a crew of 40 costumed fools? The biggest pizzas I’ve ever seen in my life. 28" doesn’t seem that large (pause), but holy cow these things were massive. And at $28 each, not a terrible deal. Job done.

WORKSHOP KITCHEN & BAR

  • Probably my favorite restaurant in Palm Springs. The space is great, the staff is all nice and everything I’ve eaten there has been good. I like that they have a lot of veggie options.

KING’S HIGHWAY (AT THE ACE HOTEL)

  • First: Monday night bingo at 8pm and triva at 9pm is A BLAST. Go. It’s so fun. The hosts are gems and so sweet and funny. It’s an all around good time. Second: Eat before you go. Save your money for dessert and drinks. I won’t go too much into it, but I don’t plan on eating there again.

RESERVOIR (AT THE ARRIVE HOTEL)

  • We went for lunch. I had the burger per the waiter talking up their special patty. I don’t know how special it was, but it was fine, I guess. I have a tough time with burgers, admittedly. If you’re looking for a nice place to sit out during the day and people watch, this is a good option. But there is definitely better food to be had. Similar to the Ace, in a way. Go for fun over going for food.

KORAKIA (HOTEL)

  • Cannot recommend staying here enough. It’s definitely a special trip kind of place. So serene. There’s no restaurant there, per se, but along with your stay comes a breakfast menu that changes every day. This scramble and french toast was our day one. Pro tip: bring down a bottle of champagne to add to their freshly squeezed orange juice (or just drink separately).

IN’N’OUT

  • Stop by on your way in and out of town to practice your one-handed driving.

Note: also had a special (large) dinner at Le Vallauris, which I posted aboot over here.

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#11

Very nice the way you put your reports together.

Too bad about the food at The Ace. We had a really good breakfast. But it was a while ago. I recall a house-made chorizo chili, potato, egg thing and waffles w/a praline sauce. Decadent vacation indulgences. I don’t see either on the menu now. Glad you made bingo night. We really enjoyed our stay there - big layout, 2 pools, cool spaces, fun stuff.

I’ve been wanting to stay at The Korakia for a while! Because of the no TV thing I haven’t secured a yes :unamused:. But I’m working on him.

Good tips! Looking forward to checking out Workshop.

Thanks!

#12

You know, I can see breakfast there being good. The dinner just was a miss, for me. (Except for the dessert, which was tasty.)

Go! They have wifi, so netflix is only a couple clicks away :slight_smile: But you don’t miss any screens when you’re there. It’s so great. There are bikes that you can take out, a bocce ball court and the pools, etc. Plus full ish sized fridges that you can stock with champs and beers and whatnot.

#13

You’re preaching to the choir. I’m all over that. Hubby is all over me being all over that… As long as there is a gym, a tv for football, basketball or hockey. Yep, that’s my life. But aside from that, the guy is practically a saint. So…

#14

We ate at Mr Lyons this past weekend and were completely blown away, every bite was so amazingly good and savory. Our go-to spot, Miro’s, is still closed (unclear as to why, says it reopens in December), so we scrambled to find something last minute and Mr. Lyons is right there, so…

OMG. We had Petit Filet, NY strip, Prime Rib, creamed spinach, carrots, brussel sprouts, french fries, baked potatoes and the unbelievable sauce flight: Bordelaise, Green Peppercorn,
Béarnaise, Chimichurri A memorable evening and to die for martinis with hand stuffed blue cheese olives (best I’ve had), in an old school room. Will be back, and soon.

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#15

Outstanding chica!

You have such incredible taste that if you say you were completely blown away by Mr. Lyons, it must be damn good!
Can’t wait to dine there soon.

Please report back every time you go…love the flight of sauces…solid.

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#16

Going next month…not for Coachella. Any updates? We will sadly miss the Indian Accent pop-up at Mr. Parker.